New service ready for take-off

Passengers wanting to fly between Auckland
and Rotorua during the week will have a bigger and better
option as of this coming Sunday.

From February 9, Air New
Zealand will be operating a larger Q300 aircraft on its
weekday morning flights between Auckland and Rotorua.
Departure times are also changing, with the Auckland to
Rotorua flight moving from 8:05am to 8:30am, and the Rotorua
to Auckland service leaving slightly later at 9:30am instead
of 9am.

The 50 seat Q300 aircraft provides an additional
31 seats per flight, the equivalent of a 30% increase in
passenger capacity.

“These changes to the
Auckland and Rotorua routes are a positive development for
our region. Forward bookings on the route have already
experienced double digit growth compared to the previous
year, as a result of the Q300’s 30% capacity upgrade. This
is encouraging.”

He says increased seat numbers also
have the potential for Air New Zealand to offer cheaper
tickets, with $79 lead in fares.

“The fact Air New
Zealand is providing the increased capacity without any
decrease in frequency means we get the benefit of an
efficient and cost-effective schedule for locals and
visitors to and from Rotorua. This is made even more
significant by the fact the Auckland to Rotorua link is a
critical tourism route for the region.”

He says the
future of the service is bright, with the next objective
being the introduction of the larger Q300 planes on the
evening service.

“The new morning service is a great
development, but we still need to work together as a
community to demonstrate the justification of a larger
aircraft, as well as the introduction of the Q300 on the
evening service as well.

“The Auckland to Rotorua route
has huge potential, with easier and more economical ways of
getting to and from Auckland, be it for business, concerts,
international connections, sporting events and so
on.”

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